


Scheduled

by Anonymous033



Category: Conviction (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-09
Updated: 2017-02-09
Packaged: 2018-09-23 03:56:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9639773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anonymous033/pseuds/Anonymous033
Summary: “Do you think the kids would notice if I spiked the punch?” // Hayes and Maxine meet as chaperones at a middle-school prom.





	

“Do you think the kids would notice if I spiked the punch?”

Maxine widened her eyes in disbelief and levelled a stare at the woman next to her, who was examining the contents of a punch bowl with interest.

“What?” the woman asked when she noticed Maxine staring. “Anything to get me through these two hours.”

“This is a _middle-school dance!_ ” Maxine hissed.

The other woman rolled her eyes. “Relax; I’m kidding. I have my vodka properly smuggled in a water bottle like a responsible adult.” To demonstrate, she uncapped the bottle she was holding and extended it to Maxine. “Want some?”

“No, thanks,” Maxine answered tartly.

“Suit yourself,” the woman said, and then took a swig from her bottle. Capping it back, she continued, “Anyway, I’m Hayes Morrison.”

“Maxine Bohen.” The handshake Maxine exchanged with Hayes was wary.

“I’m the aunt of that one over there.” Hayes gestured in the direction of a child with a white dress and a dirty-blonde ponytail. “My brother is out of town and her other father is working late, so it’s fallen to the aunt to take their place as chaperone. Hmm. Sadie’s lucky I love her.”

“We would’ve managed without you, I’m sure.”

It surprised Maxine, but the other woman seemed hurt by her sarcastic comment.

“I’m family,” Hayes protested. “We had promised her that family would be here. She had a bad fostering experience. I didn’t want to spring it on her last minute that no one would be attending.”

Well, now Maxine felt a little guilty. “I’m sorry,” she said.

“No harm done,” Hayes reassured her. “So, what brings you here?”

“My son.” Maxine nodded her head in Ashton’s direction. “No backstory; I just like being involved."

“Good policy.” Hayes nodded in agreement. “I like to think in another universe where my life was less of a mess, I would be the same way.”

Maxine snorted. “Not carrying vodka onto school grounds in a water bottle would be a good start.”

“Oh, but what would be the fun in that?” Hayes chirped. She grabbed a paper plate and delicately arranged some finger sandwiches on it. With an inviting smile, she lifted the plate. “Join me?”

Maxine followed Hayes over to some empty seats.

She supposed she had nothing else to do, anyway.

— — — — —

Three sandwiches and a cup of orange juice each later, Hayes was grimacing at Maxine. “So, I guess I shouldn’t have been pulling that vodka trick on you, huh?”

Maxine, the ex-cop, just snorted. She opened her mouth, but they were interrupted before she could reply by the cautious approach of Hayes’ niece.

“Hey, girlie,” Hayes greeted. “What’s up?”

“Hey, Aunt Hayes,” Sadie responded. She looked over at Maxine with noticeable hesitation.

Hayes supplied obligingly, “This is—Mrs. Bohen?”

“Ms. Bohen,” Maxine corrected with a smile. “Nice to meet you, Sadie. That’s a nice dress.”

Sadie thanked her shyly. Behind Sadie, Hayes quirked an eyebrow at Maxine. Before Maxine could press Hayes for an explanation, though, the other woman was already offering her niece food.

Sadie took a sandwich, looking self-conscious, and spun the toothpick speared through it in between her fingers before blurting at her aunt, “Are you having fun? Can I fetch you anything?”

“No, thanks,” Hayes answered, her whole countenance softening. “And I am having fun. Are _you_ having fun?”

Sadie twisted her lips. “Yeah.”

“Well, then, continue doing what you do,” Hayes encouraged. “If I need anything, I’ll get it myself. Okay?”

Sadie nodded. “Okay,” she said quietly, and then left.

“She’s checking up on you,” Maxine murmured with interest.

Hayes sobered at that. “She does that a lot,” she agreed, “and very anxiously.”

“You worried about it?”

“I don’t know. I guess we’ll see if she finds it easier to settle in eventually.”

Maxine hummed and popped the last sandwich into her mouth. Watching Hayes collect herself was fascinating; a deep breath and a blink of her amber eyes, and the blasé mask was back on.

“So. Ms., huh?” Hayes asked with a smirk.

“I’m divorced,” Maxine elaborated. “My ex-husband and I decided we argued too much living together. He still co-parents Ashton with me, though—lives the next block over; comes to dinner sometimes. He’s a good man.”

“Mmm. Do you still argue?”

“Nah, not so much. We’re good when we don’t share the same physical space.”

Hayes nodded thoughtfully. “Is it hard being a single mother?”

“It’s alright when you’re not doing it alone.” Maxine shrugged. “Scheduling can be complicated, but then I guess that’d be the case if I were married with a kid, too. This way, since Ashton spends some nights at my ex-husband’s, I get even more time to myself.”

“Ever use that time to date?”

Maxine arched her eyebrow sceptically. “Why, you asking me out?”

“I just might be.”

“Huh. Didn’t think I’d be your type.”

“Why is that? Because you’re a woman? Black? Older? A mother?”

“All of the above. _Any_ of the above.”

“They’re all commendable traits. And that’s not a ‘no.’”

Maxine pursed her lips and deliberated Hayes’ proposal. “Tell you what,” she said. “You have until the end of the night to convince me.”

“Deal,” Hayes said. “Spit on it?”

Maxine wrinkled her nose.

They fist-bumped instead.

— — — — —

By the end of the dance, Maxine had already learnt about Hayes’ favourite colour (“Blue, but red looks _great_ on me,”), hobby (“Motorcycling is the best thing in the world,”), and mountain range (“Okay, but can _anything_ compare to the Alps?”). Hayes had been checked up on twice more by Sadie before the two women had had to separate, Maxine to break up a fight and Hayes due to reports of vomit (“That’s _vile!_ ”) in the girls’ bathroom. It was not until Maxine had already collected her coat and was waiting by the gym doors for her son that Hayes reappeared.

“Where’s Sadie?” Maxine enquired.

“Saying goodbye to her friends,” Hayes said. “So, about that date….”

She looked uncharacteristically shy all of a sudden, Maxine noticed. It was odd. The entire night, Hayes had put forth a brash and confident persona, and although the fact that it _was_ a persona was clear to both Maxine and Hayes herself, the fact that Hayes was now letting the act go caught Maxine off-guard.

“You really want this,” Maxine observed.

Hayes gave her an uncertain smile. “Wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t.”

“Hmm.” Maxine mulled on that. Planting her feet, she said, “I got addicted to pain pills when I was shot on the job. It’s been nineteen months, two days that I’m sober now.” She nodded at Hayes’ water bottle. “To be on the safe side, I don’t do alcohol either—and I don’t tend to hang around people who drink a lot in front of me.”

“Message received.” Hayes patted her water bottle. “Pascal can stay home.”

Maxine huffed. Tickled exasperation was her constant state with Hayes, it seemed. “Okay. Gimme your number, and I’ll think about calling you.”

Hayes did accordingly; and then Sadie showed up, and farewells were quickly bid before Hayes was ushering her niece out of the gym.

Maxine watched them walk down the hall. Hayes’ arm was around her niece’s shoulders; Sadie was chattering excitedly for the first time that night.

Yeah, Maxine thought she might go on that date yet.

* * *

Crossposted to: [Tumblr](http://anonymous033.tumblr.com/post/157027148042/scheduled-a-hayesmaxine-one-shot-au)


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